1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a converter plant with a sealing ring provided between the hood of a tiltable converter and the mouth of a smoke gas flue. Drives are provided, by means of which the sealing ring can be moved so far away from the converter hood that the converter can be tilted without obstruction.
2. Discussion of Prior Art
Converters for steel production are equipped, as a rule, with a water-cooled cooling flue, in order to pick up and discharge the process gases emerging at the mouth. In this case, the converter mouth is located at a distance from the inlet orifice of the cooling flue, so that the vessel for charging and emptying can be moved past below the flue aperture.
In plants operating by the suppressed combustion of the process gases, the gap must, as far as possible, be kept completely closed during the process. Consequently, the ingress of air to the converter gas sucked away is to be limited, in order to pick up, unburnt, the combustible gas with its high thermal value and, after appropriate cooling and purification, deliver it for further utilization. For this purpose, a movable water-cooled ring is normally arranged at the flue inlet and can be lowered by means of a hydraulic or other mechanical device, in order thereby to reduce the air gap during the process.
Since the ring, because of its necessary movability, is at a structurally prescribed distance from the fixed flue inlet, an air gap remains between the two components. However, at this gap, both air can continue to enter the process gas or else hot dust-containing process gas may escape into the working spaces. Both are undesirable, however, and should certainly be prevented.
Furthermore, various additional devices for sealing off the residual gap between the ring and the cooling hood are known, such as, for example, a water lute, filming with steam or inert gas or reversals by means of a skirt which is intended to produce a kind of labyrinth seal.
These known sealing systems have disadvantages which are caused by the extreme operating conditions at the place of installation and poor accessibility. Thus, a water lute requires a large amount of space, and, furthermore, it is susceptible to faults and complicated to maintain.
Filming involves a consumption of costly operating materials.
Labyrinth-like skirts are complicated because of the cooling which is required, they are of limited effect due to the residual gaps and they also have poor accessibility.
Other disadvantages of all the sealing systems mentioned are the maintenance and cleaning of the parts due to slags and steel being caked on in the sealing region, particularly on account of poor accessibility.
J.P. Japanese reference 63-42321 discloses a smoke gas flue, in which the mouth region is arranged so as to be movable coaxially to a central flue tube. This mouth rests loosely on the converter.